(July 27, 2015) PLYMOUTH, Mich. — The winners of the 14th annual North American Concept Vehicle of the Year Awards were announced this weekend during a ceremony held at the Concours d’Elegance of America at St. John’s. The Ford GT was named Most Significant Concept Vehicle of 2015.

The awards recognize those vehicles most likely to shape the future of the automobile industry. More than two dozen jurors participated in a selection process that involved a total of 30 vehicles, each introduced to North America during this season's auto shows in Los Angeles, Detroit, Chicago, Toronto, and New York.



The Production Preview Concept category is for those vehicle prototypes that are the basis for a model that has already been announced or planned for production. The finalists in this category included the Aston Martin Vulcan, the Buick Avenir, and the Ford GT.

Marking the brand's 20th time as a category finalist, and fifth time as a category winner, Ford won the honor of 2015 Production Preview Concept of the Year with its racing-bred Ford GT. "The Ford GT is already one of the all-time great designs, with styling that is simultaneously breathtaking and aerodynamically functional," said juror Dan Carney. "A car for the ages."

The Concept Car category recognizes passenger-centric, long-range prototypes designed to measure market reaction to future features and models. The finalists in this category were the Audi Prologue, the Mercedes Benz F 015, and the MINI Superleggera.

Earning its fifth spot as a category finalist, and marking the brand's first visit to the awards podium, Mercedes took the 2015 Concept Car of the Year award with its F 015 Concept. "The Mercedes-Benz F 015 goes far beyond an interesting redesign -- it takes the definition of transportation to a whole new arena," said juror Bill Schaffer. "That's what a concept car should do."

The Concept Truck category recognizes those concepts where cargo carrying is a significant design consideration. The finalists in this category were the Hyundai Santa Cruz, the Kia Trail'Ster, and the Mitsubishi GC-PHEV.

Bringing the brand's fourth category finalist spot, and third honor as a category winner, the Hyundai Santa Cruz earned the 2015 Concept Truck of the Year award. "This (the Santa Cruz) is what the light-truck category needs," said juror Gary Vasilash, "loads of style for people without big loads."

From amongst the winners in the Concept Car, Concept Truck and Production Preview Concept categories, the Ford GT posted the highest overall score to earn the top award as Most Significant Concept Vehicle of 2015. This award marks Ford's second time earning the top award in the competition; the brand's first top honor was for the Reflex Concept in 2006.